For quite some time, fuel delivery systems for vehicles have typically included a fuel delivery assembly mounted within and received through an access opening in an upper wall of a fuel tank of a vehicle. A typical fuel delivery assembly may include a fuel pump module for delivering fuel from the fuel tank to a vehicle engine, a mounting flange for mounting to the upper wall of the fuel tank within the access opening, and a reservoir housing connected to the mounting flange. The reservoir housing may be of generally cylindrical shape, under normal operating conditions, contains a predetermined volume of fuel therein regardless of normal changes in inclination of the vehicle, and houses an electric fuel pump therein with an intake port and filter in communication with the interior of the reservoir housing. The fuel pump module is mounted to and within the fuel tank so that the bottom of the reservoir housing rests on the bottom of the fuel tank either directly or via supporting feet. The mounting flange may include various conduits that extend from the vehicle engine, through the mounting flange, and terminate in connections to various components of the fuel delivery assembly. The fuel pump module may also include a fuel level sender mounted to the reservoir housing and having a float and variable resistor to sense the level of fuel in the fuel tank.
More recently, fuel delivery assemblies may also include various accessories, such as a filter, a fuel additive cartridge, or a carbon canister for reducing evaporative emissions from the fuel tank. The carbon canister functions to limit emissions of fuel vapors from the fuel tank into the atmosphere. The carbon canister includes a housing containing activated carbon therein to trap fuel vapors therein and store the fuel vapors for subsequent release and combustion in the engine. The carbon canister includes conduits, which are connected between the canister housing to nipples on the mounting flange. Carbon canisters are of generally cylindrical shape and may be relatively loosely placed within the fuel tank and connected to the reservoir housing by flexible and twistable plastic brackets.
Unfortunately, however, when the vehicle is in motion, sometimes the loosely mounted carbon canister may move and interfere with other components.